Apple, Samsung, and now Microsoft: the future smart watch market is filling up.

Attention, people of Earth: the time has come to stop getting hit by cars while you stare at your smartphones. In the future, you will be hit by cars while staring at your wrists.

With Apple believed to be working on a smart watch, and with Google and Samsung hot on its heels, it was perhaps inevitable that rumors of a Microsoft smart watch would surface any time now. Cue the Wall Street Journal, which last night reported that Microsoft "is working on designs for a touch-enabled watch device."

The report is based on anonymous sources at electronics components suppliers. "Earlier this year, Microsoft asked suppliers in Asia to ship components for a potential watch-style device, the executives said," the Journal reported. "One executive said he met with Microsoft's research and development team at the software company's Redmond, Wash., headquarters. But it's unclear whether Microsoft will opt to move ahead with the watch, they said."

The report said that Microsoft had requested 1.5-inch displays from its suppliers.

Smart watches are more likely to complement and sync with smartphones and other devices than replace them. One such product already in customers' hands is the Kickstarter-fueled Pebble watch, which connects to iOS and Android devices. A Microsoft smart watch would likely connect wirelessly to Windows Phones and/or Windows PCs and tablets to provide some wrist-accessible functionality.

108 Reader Comments

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

Most likely it'd be linked to your smart phone via bluetooth or something, and be an easier way to quickly glance at notifications, maps, email, time etc without having to pull out your phone to do it. It could be very handy, and extend battery life on your phone at the same time.

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

The demand is most certainly there. I have a feeling that this will either mimic smartphones in popularity or at least get a nice niche crowd that depends on them. People didn't understand the appeal of smartphones either.

There does become a point where it is useless to create a smaller portable computer. I think a watch probably is that point. Anyone remember T.V. watches from the 1980's? Now imagine trying to read text on a screen that small or lugging around a watch with a screen big enough to be able to read from.

I'm with you. A smartphone is just invasive enough, while still just hidden enough, that it helps maintain some semblance of separation between "the life around me" and "the information beyond me." I like that it takes a physical action—removing it from my pocket and performing a set of cognitive interactions—to get at that information. Things like smartwatches and Google Glass and other "intimate-object-connected-devices" break down separations I'd rather not see broken.

I understand why achieving that immediacy might be a boon to some, and I get that it's a natural development of interweaving information and physical presence, but I'm not interested. I'm intimate enough with the firehose of information that surrounds and bombards me, I don't need to tighten that bubble further.

I rocked that Casio watch back in school (Jr. High maybe?). But I'll do you one better Jon. I used to get my game on with my first 'Smart Watch' (spoilered below). I remember being crushed and crying a bit in grade school when I lost it one day......

If you listen very carefully, you can just about hear the legal papers for patent infringement lawsuits being prepared. Some people are going to get very rich off this, whether the concept takes off or not.

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

Most likely it'd be linked to your smart phone via bluetooth or something, and be an easier way to quickly glance at notifications, maps, email, time etc without having to pull out your phone to do it. It could be very handy, and extend battery life on your phone at the same time.

I don't use bluetooth on my phone very much, so I'm most likely incorrect, but wouldn't having it enabled to send notifications to your watch cause more battery drain? Or do you think the savings from not turning the phone screen on to manually check notifications would outweigh the use due to having bluetooth always on?

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

Most likely it'd be linked to your smart phone via bluetooth or something, and be an easier way to quickly glance at notifications, maps, email, time etc without having to pull out your phone to do it. It could be very handy, and extend battery life on your phone at the same time.

Not sure how it extends the battery life on your phone if it's always connected to your watch via Bluetooth. In fact the Pebble FAQ said to expect the battery life on your phone to drop by 10%.

Man the future's going to get complicated what with my smartwatch, smartphone and Google Glass. Better battery technology cannot get here fast enough.

There does become a point where it is useless to create a smaller portable computer. I think a watch probably is that point. Anyone remember T.V. watches from the 1980's? Now imagine trying to read text on a screen that small or lugging around a watch with a screen big enough to be able to read from.

How about video chat with a friend. you only need to see their face and they see yours. you only need to hold your hand.weather reports? sports? pager messages? quick navigation (turn left here, bob)? it has a lot of potential.some people got used to checking their cellphones for the time. I love my watch for the ability to see the time quickly. a smartwatch is a sort of a "hands free" device that I would certainly be interested in.

If you listen very carefully, you can just about hear the legal papers for patent infringement lawsuits being prepared. Some people are going to get very rich off this, whether the concept takes off or not.

Go search Microsoft SPOT watch.

I had two of them. They were awesome; you could get your MSN messages on your watch! It was a heartbreaking day when they shut the towers down. Strangely enough it was the same day random people stopped shaking me down for my lunch money and calling me nerdlinger.

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

Most likely it'd be linked to your smart phone via bluetooth or something, and be an easier way to quickly glance at notifications, maps, email, time etc without having to pull out your phone to do it. It could be very handy, and extend battery life on your phone at the same time.

I don't use bluetooth on my phone very much, so I'm most likely incorrect, but wouldn't having it enabled to send notifications to your watch cause more battery drain? Or do you think the savings from not turning the phone screen on to manually check notifications would outweigh the use due to having bluetooth always on?

Could say for certain, it depends how often you're checking your phone now. I usually have my phone's bluetooth enabled to connect my car with, so since I already have it on I'd probably see better results. If you're not using it now it may be worse for you... but like I said, it depends how often you turn it on. The screen is very battery intensive.

Anyone else wonder if Apple "leaks" rumors to send its competitors down one path it never intended to go?

My first thought was: If Steve Jobs was still around, I'd totally believe this to be a red herring that he's thrown out. Allow a rumor to get out about it, get all the other companies scrambling to make their own watch. A year down the line, stand up on stage and go "smart watch? Who would want a smart watch? Those are stupid! Here's what we've actually been working on..."

That all being said, I do have a Pebble watch. And while this is clearly not ready for prime time, I do love the concept. It provides me with a significant amount of the quick look information I currently get from my phone. My phone usually lives in my coat pocket. Phone rings? Instead of scrambling to grab it, just to discover it's a telemarketer, I glance at my watch, don't recognize the number, and decline the call. Driving on the freeway, and I hear my wife text me? Turn my wrist a fraction, and I can see what she just wrote me without taking my eyes off the road or committing a traffic infraction.

As a first generation product though, it's incredibly unpolished. It reminds me just how good Apple is at UI and getting the little things right. If Apple is doing a smart watch, I pretty much expect it to be 10 times easier to use, and have a bunch of functions that make me go "oh, I didn't even think that I needed that..."

I am hot and cold about these ideas. I have stopped wearing a watch since I started carrying a phone (barring formal occasions where watches serve as jewelry). A phone's screen handles everything you need, but I can see the appeal of being able to get that info without pulling the phone out.

however, I think that makes more sense in cases where your phone is in your purse, rather than a pocket. Then, you get into the physical limits of the size of a watch. A watch that has enough screen size to be useful likely would look fine on a man's wrist, but would be too chunky for what women would want.

So it seems to me that the practical application of a smartwatch and the stylistic implications are at loggerheads.

Plus, doesn't Google Glass invalidate the need for a watch even in this situation?

In some really campy scifi movie I was watching once (something to do with Mars - and yes, I love my campy scifi movies, and you can pry them from my cold dead fingers), they had a cool wrist mounted computer on the space suits that would let you use a flexible screen to do things like x-rays and medical diagnosis. If you could mount enough processing power and a good medical OS, I could see a wrist mounted watch being the perfect device to manage insulin injections for diabetics, ping alerts, send emails to doctors about stats, or link in with other parts of the body (monitors, pacemaker devices, etc etc).

Of course, on the other side of this is reliability and security. If your life is dependent on an insulin injector, do you want that hooked up to something that can be hacked? Always on/Always connected isn't "always smart."

But... if you didn't have it always connected, something like this could greatly increase diagnostic capabilities.

However, the minute Microsoft wins me full over is when they create a lapel pin that you can tap, speak a name, and have an instant two way conversation with that person

Looks more like a Mickey Mouse watch, really... Is everyone a fad-monger? I mean, whenever a company comes up with some superfluous device it would like to sell, does everyone file over the cliff like a herd of lemmings? I've always been anti-fad, myself, on the general principle that most of the time the crowd is wrong. I'm starting to wonder if there are others like that...anywhere!

Am I the only one who doesn't see the appeal of a smartwatch? What exactly will differentiate a "smart" watch from a normal watch? And why exactly would I want these features on a watch-sized device anyway?

Ok, so ten years ago, when phones were dumb, their batteries lasted about a week or two, depending on use. Now, we have smartphones and you're pretty lucky to make a 2000 mAh battery last more than 2 days in the common smartphone (provided it even has a battery packing 2000 mAh or more).

Nowadays, most of our 'dumb' watches last at least two to three years. Thanks to the incredible advancements brought by smartwatches, I guess we'll soon have to charge them every week or so.

All the "smart" watches I have seen so far offer little more than an extension of your smart phones email and messaging abilities, which is just a novelty. What they need to do use the watch as a bio-metric component, taking pulse readings, and other environmental data, so it can also replace the current crop of "workout watches". That would be reasonably nifty.

While I do not see the Smart Watch concept being as revolutionary as the Smart Phone has been, I do think it has it's merits as part of the shift towards pervasive computing, where pretty much every aspect of life becomes involved with computers. Some might find that scary, but I think it is exciting.

There *is* a small market for this sort of device. In my line of work I am seeing more and more troopers with smart gadegtry festooned all over them.

I have been in a few situations where I could have used the device in an accessible location, but still pretty much hands free. I can see this sort of tech combining with the google glass tech to become the new wearable computer.

Does anyone else think that photo is a little creepy? Bill Gates looks like he's about to punch the girl, or grab her breast, and the guy on the left looks like he's going to punch her in the stomach, or maybe he's going all the way across to punch Bill. Just kind of weird.

I don't use bluetooth on my phone very much, so I'm most likely incorrect, but wouldn't having it enabled to send notifications to your watch cause more battery drain? Or do you think the savings from not turning the phone screen on to manually check notifications would outweigh the use due to having bluetooth always on?

Probably no doubt to this...

I can attest to the fact that my number one source of battery drain on my iPhone (same case with the 4 and 5) was backlight. This is due to the amount of reading I do on it with the Kindle app. Processor load is very low (only black text on white background), and I'm usually in areas with good wireless coverage. When I don't read much or at all, there is a noticeable difference in battery life.

Does anyone else think that photo is a little creepy? Bill Gates looks like he's about to punch the girl, or grab her breast, and the guy on the left looks like he's going to punch her in the stomach, or maybe he's going all the way across to punch Bill. Just kind of weird.